Whirrakee : a monthly newsletter

HIRRAKEE

April 2013 Vol. 34 No. 3

Registered by Australia Post. Publication No. VBH4462

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE BENDIGO FIELD
NATURALISTS CLUB

Bendigo Field Naturalists Club Inc.
Address for correspondence: PO Box 396, Bendigo 3552. Web address: www.BendigoFNC.com.au

ISSN 0812-423X e-mail address: info@bendigofnc.com.au
Office Bearers for 2012 - 2013
President Jan Orr 5443 5668
Vice President Richard Goonan
Secretary/Public Officer Stuart Fraser 5443 1326
Minute Secretary position vacant
Treasurer Ben Goonan
Membership Officer Anne Bridley 5442 6188
Excursion organiser John Lindner/Joy Clusker 5448 3406 (after 15/
Syllabus organiser Ben Goonan
Librarian Diana Collier 5443 0137
Garden Convenor/Secretary position vacant
Hall Management Maurie Lewis (assisted by Rob Moors) 0407 427179
Whirrakee contact/editor Sabine Wilkens e-mail: s.wilkens@latrobe.edu.au 5443 2797
Co-editor Gemma Candy

Whirrakee mailing coordinator Vanessa Richardson
Website coordinator/Webmaster Ben Goonan

Membership of the Bendigo Field Naturalists Club is open to all those interested in Natural
History. The subscription rates are: Single $34; Family $40; Concession: Single $28.50; Family
$34. Whirrakee subscription only is $34.

General meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month. The venue for General
meetings is the Golden Square Senior Citizens Building, Old High Street, Golden Square. The
meeting starts with a 10 minute thing-of-the night natural history segment. The invited speaker
starts at 8:00pm and meetings conclude with supper. The Annual Meeting is held in September.

Committee meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm. Members of the
Committee are the Office Bearer listed above and the following members: Anne Bridley, Glenise
Moors, Joy Clusker, Kerrie Norris, John Lindner.

Excursions are conducted regularly and are advertised on the diary page of the Whirrakee. The
assembly point for excursions is the Golden Square Senior Citizens Building, unless otherwise
specified. Several interclub field naturalist campouts are held every year.

The Bendigo Field Naturalists Club has one sub-group (the Fauna Study Group) and is actively
involved in local conservation issues. An indigenous garden has been established around the
Golden Square Senior Citizens Building. Working bees are advertised on the Whirrakee diary page.

Fauna Study Group: Chairman: John Burtonclay, Fadersons Lane, Mandurang (5439 5710)
Secretary: Bill Holsworth, 13 Nabilla Crs., Bendigo (5443 4063)
Equipment Officer: Maurie Lewis (0407 427179)

Regular fauna excursions take place most Fridays. See page 11 for details.

Bird Observing: Club members conduct regular bird surveys. Please contact Anne Bridley 5442
6188 or Glenise Moors 5439 6254 for details. Special bird observations should be reported to Anne
_ Bridley 5442 6188.

To propose bird observing excursions please contact Rene Norris 5447 8017.

Front cover photo?...see page 2

WHIRRAKEE

Monthly Newsletter of the Bendigo Field Naturalist Club
Vol. 34, No. 3, April 2013
Whirrakee takes its name from the Whirrakee Wattle (Acacia williamsonii), which is virtually

endemic to the Bendigo region

CONTENT

Item Contributor Page
Short notices 3
Burrowing crayfish at Mandurang Glenise Moors 3
Blue Wrens at Tidal River Peter Ellis

Colour Photo section various wonderful photographers 4-7
BENC April Excursion John Lindner/Kerrie Norris 8
News from the bowling green Tom Burton 8
Stories from Naree (1) 50 degrees in the shade Diane Davies 9

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the information they use and also for any opinions
expressed in their articles. Contributions should be posted or e-mailed to the editor at least two days
prior to the last Wednesday of the month. They will be included as soon as possible after they are
received, although space restrictions occasionally require shortening of articles or holding them
over till the following edition of Whirrakee.

Articles in Whirrakee may be reproduced, but permission should be obtained from the Bendigo
Field Naturalists Club, and acknowledgment should be given to the author and the Club. Some
back issues are still available on request. :

Editor’s Note

Driving around Bendigo and surroundings, as well as to Melbourne, is making me somewhat sad at
present because so many trees, especially young ones from re-growth or re-vegetation efforts, haye
succumbed to the extreme conditions, presumably the long dry spell in combination with the long
hot spell. This is natural selection in action, and there will be more of it in the near future. It is
actually quite amazing too how many tees have survived, so let’s hope the Easter Dragon will bring
plenty of rain for them. This month we are starting with the ‘Stories form Naree’. There are a few
of these fascinating insights into life on a inland station, so I hope you’ll like this Jirst instalment
and then want to read more.

rN oer ann

Front page photographer: Joy Clusker

This collection of bones and skulls (including one of a northern territory crocodile) was
photographed at John Wolseley’s studio during the Family Nature Club excursion on March 17.
How did all the skulls come to be there? When you visit a collector, you never know what you will
find! See more pictures on page 6.

Short Notices

For all lovers of fungi...

Fungi play an integral role in ecosystems, yet
little is known about them. Fungimap is a
national non-profit organisation committed to
the conservation of Australia’s macrofungi.
Our seventh biennial conference is being
held in Rawson, Victoria, in May 24-27.
Fungimap 7 is suitable for people with all
levels of knowledge about fungi — from the
absolute beginner to the mycologist.

For more information and to register for the
conference (registration opens Feb 4), please
see the Fungimap website at
www.trbg.vic.gov.au/fungimap or contact
Blanche Higgins Fungimap Coordinator,
Mondays and Tuesdays 03 92522374, e-mail:
blanche.higgins @rbg.vic.gov.au

Bird Care Workshop presented by Dr
Anne Fowler

When: 6th April. 8.30am registry for 9am
prompt start

Where: Golden Square Senior Citizens Hall,
Old High St., Golden Square

Dr Fowler is a veterinarian who is heavily
involved and deeply committed in providing
quality training in the care of Australian
Wildlife. Anne will ensure you leave having
learnt much about the special requirements of
wild native birds arriving for care and needing
to be released back into the wild.

Cost for non-WRIN members is $20.
Morning and afternoon tea will be provided.

From Diana Collier, the Club Librarian
There are books, periodicals and pamphlets
on the various subjects Field nats are
interested in - Birds, mammals, Insects,
the environment... in our Book room. Feel
free to browse and borrow. Just be sure to
enter borrowings with date borrowed, your
name and tel. no/contact info.

According to the records, Grasses of N.S.W.
was borrowed last October_and_is now
overdue. Please check in case you borrowed
it and return or re-new loan.

Burrowing Crayfish in Mandurang

At the March general meeting, Glenise Moors
described an unusual mud-chimney that was
found at their Mandurang property recently.
Glenise sent pictures of the chimney (see page
4) to the Melbourne Museum and received
this reply from Jo, a volunteer at the Discove-
ry Centre there:

‘This was most likely made by a burrowing
crayfish, probably Engaeus. The Melbourne
Museum has an information sheet on these
that can be read at

http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentr
e/infosheets/land-crayfish---who-s-digging-

in-my-lawn/ . There are about 20 species of
crayfish. The Australian government site
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/t
hreatened/publications/recovery/burrowing-
crayfish/index.html#21 states that these ani-
mals can make quite deep burrows that
connect to streams or the water-table or rely
on run-off. They produce chimneys of mud
pellets that can be up to 40 cm high. You
rarely see the crayfish. The article at the
bottom of the information sheet should be
available from the State Library Victoria, or
your local Field Naturalist group. The Arthur
Rylah Institute has been doing research on
burrowing crayfish and they may be able to
identify the species of your crayfish. We hope
you find this information useful, and should
you have any further queries, please do not
hesitate to contact the Discovery Centre again
in the future.’

Blue Wrens at Tidal River 5
by Peter Ellis
The photo on page 4 was taken at Tidal River
Wilson’s Prom in December two or three
years ago. This December just gone, I took
more photos, not as good as that, but the
wrens were noticeably a darker blue; that’s an
interesting observation. I wonder if the inten-
sity of plumage colour can vary according to
season. Friends and I camp at Tidal River
each year in the week or so just leading up to
Christmas and at the same camp site, so from
that point of view, the pictures have been
taken at the same period of time and
location.... any comments welcome

Late Summer Images

These are the mud chimneys Glenise Moors photographed at (oh, sooo dry) Mandurang and sent to
the Melbourne Museum, to find out that they were made by a freshwater crayfish! (see page 3).
Glenise said that it added 3 more rows of mud balls while they were away between March 6-13.
When it rained on 21st, the whole structure 'melted' then the next day it washed down the slope.

Blue Wren at Tidal River (photo by Peter Ellis). Could the colour of the bird be changing? see pg 3

More images from afar... text and photos from Rod Orr

Jan & I found this beautiful little
fungus, Cryptotrama aspratum, in
the rainforest at Eurobodalla Bota-
nic Gardens. This specimen was
only a bit more than 1 cm in diame-
ter on a slender stem, which was 4
or 5 cm tall. It was quite damp in
this forest and the light level was
very low so I spent a few minutes
taking my photos - plenty of time
for the resident bullants to find me.
I retreated in such a hurry after I
had been stung on the little finger,
that I left the lens cap behind and
then had to go back to find it after
I'd realised that it was missing.

This fungus is one of the Fungimap
'target species' - more details are
provided in the Fungimap publi-
cation, Fungi Down Under. My
specimen was wet from recent showers and had its 'hair' tufts slicked down rather than sticking up.

On our way North, travelling to the South
coast of NSW at the end of February, we
stopped at Mallacoota for a couple of
nights and revisited some of our favourite
spots in the forest and along the coastline.
We didn't really expect that we would find
anything much still flowering and were
very surprised to find just a few specimens
of this beautiful orchid, Dipodium varie-
gatum, still in good condition.

Its common name is the Variegated Hya-
cinth Orchid - it's very different from the
locally occurring Hyacinth Orchids, which
are rather plain by comparison.

Plague Soldier beetle, Chauliognathus
lugubris. See article on page 10. Image
from csironewsblog.com

March Family Nature Club event — visit to John Wolseley’s studio in the Whipstick.
Photos and text by Joy Clusker

John is a
fantastic
story teller,
artist and col-
lector and the
children had
a great day
following
clues to
hidden
objects which
they then
incorporated
into a huge
drawing at
the end. A
big thanks to
Tamara for
making the
day happen.

Collections of all sorts are very appealing:
and inspiring for people of all ages

Advertisement...This looks interesting and there are some big names in ecology down as speakers
And...it’s free

3 at The University of Ballarat, Mt Helen Campus oe

You are invited to the fifth one-day Biodiversity Across the Borders Conference.
With the theme "ENHANCING ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION",
this conference aims to communicate new ecological research to natural resource
managers, the research community and those with an interest in better environmental
management. The conference is jointly hosted by the University of Ballarat, La Trobe
University, Deakin University, Victoria University, Charles Sturt University, University of
Melbourne, Parks Victoria and other research partners. For natural resource managers,
it is an excellent opportunity to learn about new applied research outcomes and what they
mean for you. For researchers it is a great way to communicate your work in a way that can
make a real difference. This conference continues to build and strengthen collaborative
networks so as to enhance both research and land management into the future.

The program will include several mini symposia on topics such as:

¢ Large-scale connectivity and biodiversity conservation.

e Enhancing resilience: restoration and ecosystem management.

Role of private land and nature reserves in biodiversity conservation.

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor David Lindenmayer,
Australian National University. David is one of Australia’s most prolific and
innovative researchers and science communicators. David has published
numerous scientific articles on diverse topics including forest and woodland
ecology, heathlands, wildlife and biodiversity conservation, as well as
ecologically sustainable natural resource management. He has also
published 18 books. David is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
and has received numerous awards, including the 2010 Eureka Prize for
Environmental Research, the 2011 Serventy Medal from the RAOU. He was
jointly awarded the 1999 Eureka Science Prize. Amongst his six Whitley
Awards are Forest Phoenix (2011), exploring forest responses to fire, and the
co-authored Practical Conservation Biology (2006).

Associate Professor lan Lunt (Charles Sturt University). Left
Professor Mike Clarke (La Trobe University). Right

University of Ballarat
Learn to succeed

By LATROBE Wh Institute for Land,
atc, UNIVERSITY Water and Society

Chates Stunt University

aA
Healthy Parks
Healthy People’

VICTORIA

BFNC April Excursion

Theme: Mammals of the box-ironbark forests
Date/Time: Saturday 13 April, 9.00 to 12.00

Locations: Rosalind Park and Number 7
Park (Kangaroo Flat)
Leader: Kerrie Norris

Meet: Saturday 9.00 at BENC clubrooms
Driving: 2kmto Rosalind Park and 8 km

from there to No. 7 Park
Walking: Short distances only

What to bring: Binoculars, morning tea

Summary: Introduction to some of the native
mammals dependent on the high biodiversity
of the box—ironbark woodlands.

At Rosalind Park: Grey-headed Flying Foxes
whose high mobility enables access to a range
of habitats with various nectar sources.

At No. 7 Park: mammals using hollows -
Sugar Gliders, Brush-tailed Phascogales
(Tuan), microbats.

Further details: At No. 7 Park, a long-arm,
computerized camera will be used to ascertain
occupation of nest boxes by mammals. We
will consider the role of human intervention
in their future survival. Taxidermy skins will
be used to observe salient features of certain
mammals. No. 7 Park functions as a signi-
ficant drought refuge for animals, and was an
historical location in Bendigo’s European
settlement. There are numerous relics of
curious engineering feats in the attempt to
provide a stable water supply to the growing
gold mining town.

News from the Bowling Green

by Tom Burton

Editor’s comment: Tom Burton, an avid field
naturalist wherever he lives (ex Bendigo, now
in Melbourne) has taken up bowling in a big
way. Here are some of the adventures from
the greens,,,

This morning on the bowling green lay the
dead and dying bodies of hundreds or thou-

sands of Plague Soldier Beetles (Chaulio-
gnathus lugubris). | suppose you know these
little cuties, so called because of the tremen-
dous numbers they build up, rather than any
damage they cause -- they are pollen and
nectar feeders. All through the bowls season,
they flew about the greens at various clubs I
played at around Melbourne in huge numbers,
about lcm body length, glossy black elytra
and head, bright yellow-orange thorax and
abdomen (see page 5). They fly about head
height, and are very easy to catch, even by
holding out a stick for them to land on. As
you can tell, [am very fond of them, the more
so because a few weeks back, I had a very
close view of a mating on the bowling green.

Given that earlier I had watched summer
brown butterflies mating on the same bowling
green, it is clear that bowling greens are not |
the biological deserts you may imagine them
to be. Ours accommodates a range of animals,
like cockchafer beetles that damage the grass,
and fly at night, attracting the Ring-tailed
Possums; Magpie Larks that play dodge ball
with the 1.5 kilo bowls; and Little Ravens that
dig for the cockchafers, leaving nasty little
holes. We also support a broad range of
mosses and fungi, including one that puts up
white toadstools a couple of centimetres in
diameter, which adhere to and retard the
progress of the bowls, which go flap, flap,
flap as they accumulate white dots. Of course,
the greenkeeper mows them down and rolls
the green before matches.

As a lapsed ethologist -- one of my earliest
papers, with Steve Morton, was on behaviour
of the Tasmanian wallaby in captivity -- I just
had to watch the mating behaviour of the
Plague Soldier Beetles as closely as I could,

_ on hands and knees, regretting that I did not

think to bring a magnifying glass to the green
as part of my bowls kit. They mated on the
ground, female, I assume, below, with her
four front feet on the ground, her hind pair
feathering around the area where congress
was occurring, while the male's front pair
grasped the female's thorax, his hind pair was
planted on the ground, and his middle pair
fluttered near the female's hind legs. Without

a magnifying glass, it was impossible to see
what the male's middle and the female's hind
legs were actually touching as they quivered
together around the joined tips of their
abdomens. I did not think to time the
interaction -- in any case they were well under
way before I saw them. Eventually they flew
off, still coupled.

I don't know what killed off the Plague
Soldier Beetles this morning. Perhaps they
were collateral damage in the war between
greenkeeper and fungi, or perhaps the war
against cockchafers, or perhaps their summer
was over, a few days after the equinox, and it
was their time to go.

Short stories form Naree Station (1)
By Diane Davies

Editor’s comment: For four months from last
November, Ron and Di Davies were contrac-
ted to manage Naree Station, a 14,400ha
property 150km NW of Bourke, NSW, on the
road to Hungerford (Qld). The station
changed hands in late November 2012 and is
now owned by Bush Heritage Australia. (If
you require more information about this non
government organisation it is on the internet.)
The challenges were many as we moved into a
very hot summer -no air conditioning or
insulation in the house, temperatures over 40
degrees for weeks on end, reptiles a constant
danger, and the threat of bushfires started by
lightning strikes. As dams and _ watering
points dried up in February it became evident
that the property was supporting thousands of
feral animals - pigs, goats, foxes and cats.
Four pig traps wereloaned to us from
the Animal. Health and Pest Authority and
they became an effective means of eliminating
some pigs. Permanent managers arrived on
the 5th of March, and Ron and Diane left the
property Thursday, 7th March, to arrive back
in Bendigo late Friday. Diane submitted
several stories from her time at Naree, and
they will be reproduced in the Whirrakee over
the course of this year.

50 degrees in the Shade — 12th & 13th
January 2013

January maximum temperatures ranged from
40° to 47° at Naree Station until the weekend
of 12/13th. The country was experiencing a
heat wave from north to south and Naree was
in the middle of it. Naree is 150 km north
west of Bourke and we have found that the
temperature here is 3° hotter than Bourke. So
we knew we were in for a hot weekend with
Bourke forecast in the high 40s.

Friday’s overnight temp was a cool 22° but
quickly climbed to 38° by 9am, 44° by 10am
and at midday it was 49°. By 2.30pm it
peaked at 50°, remaining there for over an
hour. (Our maximum/minimum thermometer
is located in the shade under the back
veranda.) By 8pm _ that evening the
temperature had dropped back to 41°.

Saturday

In the morning I place a hose with sprinkler in
the canopy of a Callistemon in the back yard
and fill a large plastic pot plant saucer full of
tank water beneath the shrub. Birds come and
go all day — having a shower or finding a cool
space to sit. Species include Spotted
Bowerbird, Pied Butcherbird, Noisy Friarbird,
Grey Shrike-thrush, Plum-headed Finch,
Masked Woodswallow, Red-winged Parrot,
Mudlark, Mistletoebird, Willie Wagtail, Mag-
pie, Restless Flycatcher, Brown Treecreeper,
White-winged Triller, Yellow-throated Miner,
Brown Honeyeater, White-plumed Honey-
eater, Singing Honeyeater, Brown-headed
Honeyeater and Sacred Kingfisher.

A Gould’s Sand Goanna has been lurking
about the garden all day and decides to cool
off in the dish, its long tail unable to fit in.
The goanna sits there for half an hour - all
birds scampering, but quickly returning on the
reptile’s departure.

A White-winged Triller just sits on the lawn
in some shade for ages, with wings slightly
out and beak open, not moving an inch. The
Red-winged Parrot has a beautiful peachy-red
beak. It shares a cool branch with the Sacred
Kingfisher at one stage. Another time it sits at
the water dish sharing a cool drink with the
honeyeaters. All bird beaks are wide open for

maximum cooling. Most species are happy to
share the space but not when the Butcherbird
comes in. I wonder why!

In the extreme heat of the afternoon the birds
tend not to move much, either perching in the
cool canopy or sitting on the thin-rimmed
edge of the water dish or just standing nearby
sharing a cool microclimate. Woodswallows
are squatting on the damp ground beneath the
shrub where water droplets have cooled the
earth. Later in the day a White-plumed
Honeyeater is found dead on the lawn - no
chance of revival.

In the front garden (early morning) I place the
sprinkler in the Myoporum and soon twelve
Mistletoebirds are counted taking up position,
cooling off in the spray. They sit there for
ages, going into a trance-like state with eyes
closed and heads pointed vertically upwards.
They stay there for over an hour. Unfor-
tunately some, probably this year’s young, are
unable to cope with the heat and four drop
from their branches late in the afternoon. I
attempt to assist them, picking them up and
ridding them of tiny ants that quickly cover
their whole body. The young female recovers
with a few drops of water fed to her. I sit her

on top of the fence where she perches for a

while, then fluffs up and flies off. Three
others do not respond, unfortunately. A Yel-
low-throated Miner also falls to the ground
and is engulfed by ants. I feel helpless, unable
to attend to all my patients. Millions of ants —
no, billions of ants - cover every space on the
ground and all through the lawn. Ant holes
and highways are everywhere! It makes life
difficult when one is bird-watching. Stopping
for one second means ants climbing onto
shoes, inside trousers and up one’s legs.

Around 5pm two microbats have appeared
and seen acting in a disoriented manner. One
has flown into the chicken wire of the front
fence near the Tamarisk. It manages to free

itself quickly and fly off before I can get my —

camera. Another is found attempting to cling
to the rainwater tank — but not for long. It
flew off to an unknown fate. A dead
Ringneck Parrot is found later in the day on
the track near the lagoon.

Sunday

Early morning and the temperature has
dropped to an overnight low of 27° giving
some relief. As the day progresses it quickly
heats up like the day before — 43° by 10am —
another day of survival in extreme heat.
Sprinklers are set up again in shrubs and
water in the dish is replenished. These cool
spaces are occupied all day, just as they were
the day before.

In the front garden I fling the sprinkler over
the fence and into the canopy of the Tamarisk,
wetting foliage and giving cool relief to many
birds soon seen visiting. Honeyeaters find a
cool space under a thick wet branch. They sit
there for ages with beaks open, just watching.
I take some photos, my subjects allowing me
to get closer than they would normally. It is
too hot to move unless the threat is too great.
Mistletoebirds come in, much to my relief. I
am happy knowing some have survived. Two -
different species of wasp also find relief in the
wet branches. By 4pm the temperature
reaches its peak at 50°.

Overnight the sprinkler was left on to fill a
large shallow puddle just beyond the front

yard fence and in the shade of a Bimble Box.

A Brown Goshawk sits in the puddle. It sits
there for much of the day with all its friends!
It’s large yellow eye watch me intently as I
move close for a photo. It allows me to get a
few shots. Late in the afternoon the Goshawk
flies into the Tamarisk just perching on a
branch and remaining there for sometime. A
few easy meals could be taken, but it remains
still. It is just too hot to exert itself.

I venture outside on a number of occasions to
check out sprinklers and water dishes and
what birds are there. Any length of time
outside means the body sweats profusely in
order to cool itself and maintain core body

. temperature. By late afternoon clouds appear

10

in the sky, coming in from the north. A cloud
has covered the sun, creating shade and
dropping the ambient temperature noticeably.
As evening approaches the temperature
begins to cool and by 8pm it is 42°. Sunset
provides relief from a searing heat that hits
you in the face during the day. A cool change
is forecast — great news.

Diary

All Club meetings are held at the Golden
Square Senior Citizens Building, Old High St
Golden Square, unless otherwise indicated.

Wednesday April 10 7.30pm
Dr. Andrea Kodym, Research Fellow, The
University of Melbourne will talk about ‘Pro-
pagating native plants for revegetation using
plant tissue culture’

Excursions

April 13 Mammals of the Box-Ironbark
Forest. Leader: Kerrie Norris. Destination:
Rosalind Park and No. 7 Reservoir. See page
8 for details.

Regular Fauna Excursions

Every Friday morning starting at around 9 to
9:30 the Fauna Group inspects nest boxes in
the Spring Gully area. The excursions are led
by Maurie Lewis, 16 Vains St. Golden
Square. Phone 0407 427 179. Phone Maurie
to confirm exact departure times and
location. If you don’t phone and go directly
to Maurie’s house and find nobody at the
house between 9 and 9:30, then the excursion
is not on.

Family Nature Club

“Walking Country “ with Bambi Lees Sunday
April 21st (in the Campaspe/Goornong area)
Registration:

Bendigonatureclub@ gmail.com or 5443-1326
Check out their 2011 and 2012 activities at

http://bendigofamilynatureclub.blogspot.com/

Bendigo Native Plant Group meeting.

All interested people are welcome to come
along. Meeting starts at 7:30pm, Golden
Square Senior Citizens Hall. .

On the 16/04/13 the speaker will be Eric
Wilkinson “Using Bonsai techniques for
better container plants” followed by a group
discussion on “Correas, the Goldilocks
Plants"

11

Wildlife Rescue & Information Network
Inc.

W.R.LN. is an organisation dedicated to the
care of orphaned, sick or injured native
animals. It is fully endorsed by the Dept of
Sustainability and Environment.

Please call our Emergency Number for Help
for Fauna in Need. Phone: 0419 356433.

Bird Care workshop, 6th April, see Page 3.

Mapping great change: The landscape of
Victoria — 22nd March — 16 June
Post Office Gallery, 51-67 Pall Mall, Bendigo

2013 Connecting Country Education Pro-
gram. Connecting Country's 2013 Education
Program has the theme ‘learning from experi-
ence & learning from each other’. It is a diver-
se and interesting program and that is enjoy-
able, inspiring and, of course, educational.
Check it out at:

Newstead Landcare, supported by Connecting
Country, is playing host to a couple of terrific
events next month. One of Australia's best
known bird photographers, Chris Tzaros,
will be visiting to talk about the art, craft ...
and science of bird photography. Two
separate events are planned.

1. Thursday 25th April, 8pm at the Newstead
Community Centre - Chris will deliver a talk
entitled Bird Photography: Tips &
Techniques. As well as providing some
practical information on the topic, the
presentation will showcase some of Chris’
breathtaking images. Gold coin donation to
the Newstead Landcare Group.

2. Saturday 27th April (7.30am - 11.00am) -
Chris and I will lead a field workshop in the
local area. Participants will learn techniques
for improving their photographic skills when
capturing birds in their natural setting.

This workshop will cost $100 and is limited
to 10 participants ... first in best dressed!
Please email geoff.park@ncema.vic.gov.au to
register.